Various Quotes Regarding Allah & His Attributes Ascribed to Imam Ahmad by the ‘Ulema

30 Nov, 2017

ON ATTRIBUTING A BODY (JISM) TO ALLAH

[The Imam and hadith master (hafiz) Ahmad Ibn Al-Husayn] Al-Bayhaqi (d. 458/1066) relates in his Manaqib al-Imam Ahmad [The memorable actions of Imam Ahmad] with his chain on the authority of Abu al-Fadl that he said:

“[Imam] Ahmad censured the one who believed in corporeality [qala bi al-jism], saying, ‘The Names of things are taken from the Shari’a and the Arabic language. The language’s possessors have used this word [body] for something that has height, breadth, thickness, construction, form, and composition, while Allah Most High is beyond all of that, and may not be termed a “body” because of being beyond any meaning of embodiedness. This has not been conveyed by the Shari’a, and so is refuted ‘ ” source

Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal said: ‘The one who says Allah is a body not like other bodies Blasphemes’.

[Narrated by Abu Muhammad al Baghdadi in his book Al Khisal and Badr al-Din al-Zarkashi in his book Tashnif Al Masami’ source]

Similarly, Hafiz al-Bayhaqi quotes Imam Ahmad in Manaqib Ahmad: “A person commits an act of disbelief (kufr) if he says Allah is a body, even if he says: Allah is a body but not like other bodies.” source]

[Ahmad’s] disciples reported that one day a man recited Q 39:67 (The earth altogether shall be His handful . . .) and while reciting, pointed at his own fist. Ahmad was angry with the man, and cursed him, saying that God would cut off his hand.

(Ahmad b. hanbal, Masail, 1:307-8).

In another report, Ahmad b. hanbal and Dawud b. Ali al-Isfahani (d. 270/884) said that whoever moved his hand while reciting Q 38:75 (. . . that I created with My own hands?), or made a gesture using his two fingers while transmitting “the heart of the believer is between two of the Merciful’s fingers,” must have his hand cut off [in the first case] and his finger detached [in the second]

and, in commentary of the verse “And He is with you wheresoever you may be (57:4): [I.e.] His knowledge. His knowledge encompasses all, and our Lord is over the Throne without limit (bilā h.add) nor description.

Imam Abu `Abdullah Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Hanbal – may Allah be pleased with him – has said regarding the Prophet’s statements – sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam- that Allah descends to the lowest heaven, that Allah will be seen on the day of Resurrection, and what resembles such statements. “We have faith and believe in them without [saying] how [is their modality] or [interpreting their] meaning. We do not reject any of [these reports]. We know that what the Messenger came with is the truth. We do not reject what the Messenger of Allah – sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam – has brought. Nor do we describe Allah with more than what He has described Himself without [ascribing to Him] a limit or an end. ‘Like Him there is naught. And He is the All-hearing, the All-seeing.’ (42:1 1). We say as He has said and we describe Him as He has described Himself. We do not transgress that. The descriptions of men do not reach Him. We believe in the whole of the Qur’an – its definitive (mukham) and its equivocal (mutashabih). We do not separate from Him any of His attributes due to the protests of anyone. We do not transgress the Qur’an and the hadith. Nor do we know the reality of [these attributes] except by believing the Messenger – sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam – and affirming the Qur’an.”

The Qadi Abu Ya’la reported Ahmad b. Hanbal as having said that the verse “Allah will come to them” means that [he will come to them] through His power (qudra) and His command (amr), and in support of this interpretation he cited the verse “The command of your Lord (amru rabbika) will come.” The expression “Your Lord will come,” which is also found in the Torah, [was explained by Ahmad as meaning that] it is His power (qudra) only [that will come].

Al-Bayhaqi has narrated through the route of Ismail ibn Muhammad ibn Ismail al-Salami from Ahmad that he said:

Whoever calls the Qur’an a muhdath is a kafir!

Something Ibn Shaddad had written was handed to Abu Bakr al-Marwazi which contained the phrase: “My pronunciation of the Qur’an is uncreated” and the latter was asked to show it to Ahmad ibn Hanbal for corroboration. The latter crossed out the phrase and wrote instead: “The Qur’an, however used (haythu yusraf), is uncreated.” (1)

In another sound narration, Abu Bakr al-Marwazi, Abu Muhammaed Fawran [or Fawzan], and Salih ibn Ahmad ibn Hanbal witnessed Ahmad rebuking one of his students named Abu Talib with the words: “Are you telling people that I said: ‘My pronunciation of the Qur’an is uncreated’?” Abu Talib replied: “I only said this from my own.” Ahmad said: “Do not say this – neither from me, nor from you! I never heard any person of knowledge say it. The Qur’an is Allah’s speech uncreated, whichever way it is used.” Salih said to Abu Talib: “If you told people what you said, now go and tell the people that Abu ‘Abd Allah [Imam Ahmad] forbade to say it.” (2) source

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(1) AS (p. 265); ASG (2:18). Narrated with a sound chain by Bayhaqi. Al-Kawthari commented on this and the next narration as follows: “Due to such equivocal expressions, many of Ahmad’s companions erroneously thought that anything remotely connected with the Qur’an is pre-eternal (qadim). Bukhari said in Khalq Af’al al-Ibad : ‘ As for what the two parties from the school of Ahmad have claimed as proof, each for his own position: Much of what they relate is not established as authentic. It is probably they did not comprehend the subteleness of his postion. What is known from Ahmad and the people of knowledge is that Allah’s speech is uncreated and all else is created. But they hated to discuss and explore obscure matters, avoiding dialectic theologians and their queries and disputations, except in what was a matter of knowledge and which the Prophet (s) clarified.’ ”